This invention relates to a method and system for reclaiming metallic material from an article comprising a non-metallic friable substrate.
There are numerous articles which contain a hazardous metallic material and a non-metallic friable substrate which, while providing better performance and lower costs over articles which currently have greater market acceptance, have not realized their full market potential because of end-of-life hazardous disposal considerations stemming from the hazardous metallic material contained within the article. For example, while cadmium telluride photovoltaic (CdTe PV) solar cells offer the promise of renewable, non-polluting, and low cost electricity generation, it is believed that since cadmium and cadmium compounds have well known toxicological properties that require consideration of non-dispersive end-of-life module and manufacturing scrap disposal, a reclamation method will hasten market acceptance of CdTe PV solar cells.
Moreover, there are many other articles which have a relatively expensive metallic material and a non-metallic friable substrate which could be made more cost effective, and thus gain greater market acceptance, if the relatively expensive material could be reclaimed from the article in a relatively simple and cost effective manner. For example, if the gold in plasma flat panel displays could be easily and inexpensively recovered, the cost of using plasma flat panel displays could be significantly reduced.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to easily and inexpensively reclaim a predetermined metallic material from an article comprising a non-metallic friable substrate and the predetermined metallic material.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method of reclaiming a predetermined metallic material from an article comprising a non-metallic friable substrate and the predetermined metallic material.
In carrying out the above object, the method of the present invention includes a method for reclaiming a metallic material from an article including a non-metallic friable substrate and the metallic material. The method comprises crushing the article into a plurality of pieces and dissolving the metallic material in an acidic solution to form an etchant effluent. The etchant effluents is then separated from the friable substrate and is treated with a precipitation agent, which precipitates out the metallic material. The metallic material is then recovered.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.